Sunday, January 10, 2010

Walker Evans

Walker Evans, was born Nov. 03, 1903 (a scorpio - tells me a lot about him, indeed!). He was best known for his Documentary Photography during the Great Depression (1930's). He said that his goal as a photographer was to make pictures that are "literate, authoritative, transcendent".

He took Photography in 1928 when he went to Cuba for an assignment in which Carlton Beals was writing a book, and needed someone to Photograph the revolt of the dictator Gerardo Machado. This book was called: "The Crime of Cuba". Apparently, he met Hemmingway while still in Cuba.

In 1936, him and James Agee were sent to Alabama to portrait families, workers, villages (during the Great Depression).

He also did a famous series on theSubway. It is interesting because you can notice how he was photographing in a way that his target (the people) wouldn't notice. Most of the pictures come from a low angle and people look as if there mind is somewhere else.

My favorite part of the exhibition, in MASP (Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo), Brazil, was the Polaroids section. I am in love with Polaroids and I have a collection myself. His attention to detail, is inspiring and I can't wait to go home (NY) and photograph more with my polaroid. His Polaroid was the SX-70.

His photographs are very interesting, especially for being taken in the 1930's. It is amazing to see how Alabama was, the barber shops, groceries, everything full of signs in which you can compare prices of back then to now, the way they thought of the world and etc. All is there, on his pictures!

The exhibition in MASP goes until tomorrow, Monday, January 10th, so whoever is in SP and is interested should go! He also sometimes has exhibition at the MoMA.